Let's talk about the weather...

The Long, Long Winter Night; Leif Ove Andsnes, piano

Dad had equal parts Norwegian and Danish blood in his veins. He boasted loudly of both, and, because of the comparative rarity of Danes in the local vicinity, he enjoyed “memberships” in both the huge community of Norwegians and the fairly exclusive club of Danes. Frequently, before a meal, we would hear the Danish prayer he learned when a child, we would “chow down” on the Norwegian bread-like delicacy of lefse, Mom would make spherical pancakes with her Danish aebleskiver iron, and, at Christmas time, we would sing “Jeg Er Sa Glad Hver Julekveld” with the rest of the congregation in Church. My sisters and I knew our Scandinavian roots, and, to this day, they mark us.

When I worked on the Crown Odyssey, the ship often visited the very handsome and beguiling cities of Copenhagen and Oslo. I instantly felt at home in both of these two motherland cities and the countries that they adorned. We viewed these jewels at their very best: imbued with the abundant summer light.

You can imagine, then, the visual and maybe not-so-temperate climate in Norway from late November until late January. The sun doesn’t rise very high on the horizon in even the southernmost part of the country.

The music on this CD, from some of Norway’s greatest composers, takes into account the iron-fisted chill of what some would consider harsh and uncompromisingly savage environs. The composers have echoed in their creations the spirit of the dark, mountainous terrain and the nature and mental games of epic time structures – the aesthetics of long, long wintery nights, in this case, categorically FEELS Nordic. Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes matches a formidable technique to his consummate musicianship on these works.

I feel sorry for those who experience perfect weather on each and every day of their lives. The seasons of the year and the variety of atmospheres they kindle chase away doldrums for me. My friend M. and I have declared ourselves fans of inclement weather. I’ve known for years that the climate outside – rainy, sunny, cloudy, windy – generally does not dictate to my over-all friendly default mood setting. My friends know that I prefer the colder weather, but I can enjoy a warm sunny day. And I WILL endure the occasional horrible, horrible hot and hundred-degree day. Why? Because the cool day that I earned with that blisteringly hot day feels all that much better in retrospect. Or, to express an odd proverb, “After being struck in the head with an ax, it’s a pleasure to be beaten with a club.”

Credits: To the hearty people of Norway. I love your fjords. You can keep your lutefisk, but thank you for the lefse.